© SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY
OU Baseball: Oklahoma Drops Texas in Opener
Left-hander Braden Davis was electric and the Sooners got plenty of big hits to take game one of their final series as Big 12 opponents.
Oklahoma opened its final Big 12 series in the Red River Rivalry with an emphatic victory.
Braden Davis made sure of it.
The No. 19-ranked Sooners won their ninth game in a row by beating Texas 9-4 on Friday night at L. Dale Mitchell Park.
It was the Sooners’ seventh straight victory in Big 12 play.
OU improved to 26-14 overall and 15-4 in Big 12 play, firmly in first place in the league standings and four games clear of the Longhorns (25-18, 11-8). The Sooners are also well ahead of Oklahoma State (14-7 coming into Friday) and West Virginia (12-7) — two teams that beat OU twice in their season series this year.
Davis (5-3), Oklahoma’s hard-throwing left-hander, finished six innings by scattering seven hits and giving up three walks, but he struck out nine and only allowed one run.
Davis also dropped his season ERA to 4.97 in his 11th start this season. He now leads the Sooners with 76 strikeouts in 58 innings pitched.
OU scored three unearned runs in the second inning to get the onslaught going.
Kendall Pettis hit a single to left that scored Anthony Mackenzie for a 1-0 lead, and Jackson Nicklaus came home when Scott Mudler reached on a Longhorn error in center field to make it 2-0. John Spikerman’s groundout then scored Pettis on a one-out groundout for a 3-0 advantage.
In the third, Pettis brought home Easton Carmichael for another unearned run with an RBI single up the middle that put the Sooners ahead 4-0.
Texas got a run back in the fifth when Jalil Flores singled home Jared Thomas.
But OU got that back in the sixth as Jaxon Willits blasted a solo home run to straightaway center field for a 5-1 lead.
Texas scored another run in the seventh to make it 5-2.
But the Sooners poured it on with three runs in the seventh.
A solo home run by Mackenzie put Oklahoma up 6-2, Willits’ RBI single up the middle scored Pettis to make it 7-2, and Spikerman’s fielder’s choice RBI brought home Mudler to give the Sooners an 8-2 lead.
Texas added a two-run home run in the top of the eighth as Thomas blasted a shot to right-center field to score Casey Borba and cut the OU lead in half.
But the Sooners added an insurance run for a 9-4 lead in the bottom of the eighth — without even the benefit of a hit — when Michael Snyder executed a double-steal of home plate after Mackenzie stole second.
Flores and Thomas each had three hits for Texas, which compiled 12 hits on the night.
OU had 10 hits, led by Carmichael, Mackenzie, Pettis and Willits with two apiece. Spikerman, Pettis and Willits each delivered two RBIs.
Four relievers closed the deal behind Davis’ strong start. Carter Campbell, Carson Atwood and Jett Lodes each allowed one run in two-thirds of an inning. Malachi Witherspoon issued a walk to start the ninth but then struck out the side to finish it off.
The series continues on Saturday as the teams meet again at 4 p.m. Sunday’s finale starts at 2 p.m.
